Abstract:Objective: To investigate the effect of compound Qishen extract on wound healing and hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α)/vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) pathway in diabetic foot ulcer model rats. Methods: To establish diabetic foot ulcer rat model,forty-eight rats were successfully established and randomly divided into model group,metformin group (0.2g/kg),compound Qishen extract low dose group (4g/kg),compound Qishen extract high dose group (8g/kg),12 rats in each group; 12 normal rats were used to establish ulcer wound as control group. On the first day after successful modeling,metformin group,compound Qishen extract low dose group and compound Qishen extract high dose group were given 0.2g/kg metformin,4g/kg and 8g/kg compound Qishen extract respectively,and the control group and model group were intragastrically given the same volume of normal saline,once a day for 4 weeks. At the end of the administration period,the healing rate of ulcer wound was measured,the pathological changes of ulcer wound tissue in diabetic foot rats and normal rats were observed,and the levels of HIF-1α,VEGF,VEGFR2 mRNA and protein in ulcer wound tissues of diabetic foot rats and normal rats were measured. Results: In the control group,the wound tissue structure was normal,with a large number of fibroblasts and capillaries; in the model group,a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrated,and the number of fibroblasts and capillaries decreased significantly; after the intervention of metformin and compound Qishen extract,the wound tissue fibroblasts and capillaries increased,and the inflammatory cell infiltration decreased. Compared with the control group,the wound healing rate,ulcer wound tissue HIF-1α,VEGF,VEGFR2 mRNA and protein levels in the model group were decreased (P<0.05); compared with the model group,the wound healing rate,ulcer wound tissue HIF-1α,VEGF,VEGFR2 mRNA and protein levels in the metformin group and the low and high dose groups of compound Qishen extract were increased (P<0.05); the wound healing rate,ulcer wound tissue HIF-1α,VEGF,VEGFR2 mRNA and protein levels in compound Qishen extract high dose group were higher than those in compound Qishen extract low dose group (P<0.05); compared with metformin group,the above indexes of rats in the compound Qishen extract low dose group were lower (P<0.05); but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05); there was no significant difference between the compound Qishen extract high dose group and metformin group (P>0.05). Conclusion: Compound Qishen extract can promote wound healing of diabetic foot ulcer model rats,and its mechanism may be related to the promotion of HIF-1 α,VEGF,VEGFR2 mRNA and protein levels by Compound Qishen extract,and then activate HIF-1α/VEGF/VEGFR2 pathway.